Is there any maximum size for KML files to open in Google Earth/

Question

I have created a kml file with 15.439 contour and each one has 360 coordinates. The file size is 369Mb. When I try to open the file, Google Earth shows a message saying:

"Google Earth encountered a problem and needs to close. We are sorry for the inconvenience."

Is there any size restrictions for KML files? I have verified the kml code and it's ok. It works perfectly with 950 contours and 16Mb.

Is there any other program able to open this kml file?

Thanks for the help!

jluiz20

Solution 1

Your KML file has over 3 million coordinates which is hitting some upper limit for a single KML file in Google Earth. You can scale to that number of contours/features and more if you break it up into smaller KML files, load them in a parent KML via NetworkLinks, and use Regions to only load those features that are in view.

Google Earth can scale up to millions of points and features but not all at once.

If the 15,439 features are geographically separable then you can break up the KML by some geographic grouping or fixed gridded area each in its own KML. Maybe 15 KML files each with 1000 features might be a good starting place.

The parent KML should have each NetworkLink with the appropriate Region and Level of detail (Lod) element to prevent all of the KML files from loading all at once.

Here's the structure of the parent KML file:

<kml xmlns="http://www.opengis.net/kml/2.2">
 <Document>
  <NetworkLink>
    <name>area 1</name>
    <Region>
      <LatLonAltBox>
        <north>xx</north>
        <south>xx</south>
        <east>xx</east>
        <west>xx</west>
      </LatLonAltBox>
      <Lod>
        <minLodPixels>32</minLodPixels>
      </Lod>
    </Region>
   <Link>
    <href>1.kml</href>
   </Link>
  </NetworkLink>

  <NetworkLink>
    <name>area 2</name>
    ...
  </NetworkLink>
  ...
 </Document>
</kml>

Solution 2

Yes there are restrictions. Check out the docs under

https://developers.google.com/kml/documentation/mapsSupport?csw=1

I ran into similar problems with a 60mb file.

You can use the workaround using Network links but according the docs they only support less than 10.

Comments

[StackExchange What The Heck]

good answer, but might be worthwhile editing the answer and including the basic restrictions in the answer too, in case that link ever changes or breaks?

[Jayen]

this link is for google maps. is there one for google earth?